BWDC:SDDK Chapter 72: Let's Make a Deal, Kuroba Kaito
"Then the situation is indeed quite serious."
"Kuroba Kaito, let's keep it short. The mysterious organization that killed your father, Kuroba Toichi, is currently investigating the situation regarding Kaito Kid. They intend to strike during your next heist—and they plan to kill you along with him!"
Ren Ichimonji turned his head, dropping a bombshell right from the start.
Kuroba Kaito, who had intended to keep playing dumb, had been wearing a look of feigned confusion just a moment ago. Upon hearing Ren Ichimonji's words, his expression instantly shifted into combat mode.
The "Poker Face" belonging to Kaito Kid reappeared on Kuroba Kaito's features.
The magician thief known as the [Lupin of the Heisei Era] narrowed his eyes and asked, "How do you know my father died at the hands of those people?"
Ren Ichimonji raised the coffee cup in his hand, then suddenly slammed it down. Surprisingly, not a single drop of coffee spilled out.
Following the downward motion of the cup, he said with absolute certainty:
"I'm Batman!"
Kuroba Kaito: ?
Don't try to make me laugh in such a serious situation! Who asked you about that?
Even with the years of discipline behind Kuroba Kaito's Poker Face, he was nearly pushed to his breaking point at this moment.
"Kaito? Are you here? You didn't take your lunch box out yet!"
Nakamori Aoko's voice rang out from the edge of the rooftop.
She seemed to have asked some classmates and followed the trail all the way to the roof, holding a lunch box in her hands.
Seeing Nakamori Aoko appear, a flicker of anxiety flashed in Kuroba Kaito's eyes. To protect his secret identity, he certainly couldn't continue his interrogation once she arrived.
Thus, Kuroba Kaito finally stopped masking his emotions.
He asked urgently, "What exactly is going on? Can you make things a bit clearer?"
"Don't be a Riddler!"
In the end, Kuroba Kaito only heard Ren Ichimonji's final words:
"Let's make a deal, Kuroba Kaito."
"I'll help you deal with Snake, and in passing, I'll tell you your father's current whereabouts. In exchange, you teach me your techniques of disguise and stage magic. How about it?"
Kuroba Kaito: ?
Isn't he dead? What do you mean by 'current whereabouts'? Did his coffin drift away, or did his remains scatter with the sea breeze to some far-off land?
Watching Kuroba Kaito being pulled away by Nakamori Aoko, Koizumi Akako stared for a while.
Then, she suddenly turned to Ren Ichimonji and asked in confusion, "Who exactly are you? Why is it that when I see your image in my magic crystal ball, you appear as Batman?"
She had seen many "images" in her crystal ball before.
Shady creeps with ill intentions, "shadow men" who had just committed murder, and even that eight-eyed giant spider from just now.
But this was the first time she had seen someone whose crystal ball image was actually Batman.
"Is it possible that it's because... I really am Batman?"
Ren Ichimonji raised an eyebrow as he spoke.
He didn't feel much of anything toward Koizumi Akako because this Red Witch was a genuine witch.
Supposedly, when she first discovered she couldn't charm Kuroba Kaito, she genuinely intended to kill him. There was no telling when she might catch the "Beika Madman Syndrome" and go off the rails with the rest of them.
It was better to keep some distance unless necessary.
Koizumi Akako wanted to ask more.
However, in the mere time it took for her to turn her head, Ren Ichimonji had vanished miraculously right before her eyes.
Koizumi Akako: ?
Are you the magician, or am I? Do you want to take over as the witch instead?
In the blink of an eye, school was over.
Kuroba Kaito pushed open the door to his house and called out, "Grandpa Jii, I'm home."
Upon hearing Kuroba Kaito's voice, a response immediately came from inside the room.
"Oh, Master Kaito, you're back quite early today."
"Didn't you stay to play a bit longer with that child Aoko?"
The voice sounded quite elderly.
Konosuke Jii, the butler who had served two generations of Kaito Kid, appeared before Kuroba Kaito.
The next moment, Konosuke Jii's eyes widened as he looked behind Kuroba Kaito.
"W-wait a moment, Master Kaito, who is this behind you?"
Although Konosuke Jii was getting up there in years, his memory and physical skills had not yet declined. He certainly didn't remember ever meeting the person standing behind Kuroba Kaito.
In response, Ren Ichimonji reached out a hand in greeting.
"Yo."
Konosuke Jii: ?
Who's greeting you?
They triggered the hidden mechanism in Kuroba Kaito's room.
Kuroba Kaito took a seat in Kaito Kid's secret base, with Konosuke Jii standing behind him.
On the opposite sofa sat Ren Ichimonji.
Compared to Konosuke Jii, who looked somewhat conflicted, and Kuroba Kaito, who was clearly frustrated, Ren Ichimonji looked more like the owner of this secret base.
In fact, Ren Ichimonji was already scanning the base, memorizing its structure.
He was pondering when he should find a place to build a Batcave for himself.
—His special items would eventually reach a point where they were difficult to store. Building a secret base that no one knew about, specifically for storing special items, was a necessity.
"Alright, can we get to the point now?"
"You said you know my dad's whereabouts... is that true? But my mom said he likely died in that accident years ago."
"My mom hasn't been able to find him for all these years, yet you claim to know where he is the moment you open your mouth?"
Kuroba Kaito spoke with a tone of disbelief.
He didn't really believe it, but for someone to be able to talk about his personal matters to this extent, it felt wrong not to believe at least a little.
So, Kuroba Kaito decided to have some faith.
And then, his worldview shattered.
"Is it possible that your mom found your dad's whereabouts a long time ago?"
"And the two of them are just enjoying some 'couple time' at a casino in Las Vegas while investigating the mysterious organization on the side?"
Ren Ichimonji's words caused Kuroba Kaito to lose his composure instantly.
What do you mean my mom and dad are enjoying 'couple time'? If my mom really found my dad, or if my dad is still alive and has his freedom, how could they not send me a single message to explain the situation for eight whole years?
"No, wait, if even I can't find my dad's whereabouts, why could my mom find him?" Kuroba Kaito followed up quickly.
To this, Ren Ichimonji was silent for a moment before saying:
"Is there a possibility that your mother is also a phantom thief, and she actually debuted several years earlier than your father?"
Kuroba Kaito: ?
Are you saying my whole family is a bunch of thieves... I mean, phantom thieves?
Impossible, absolutely impossible! I've never seen my mom act as a phantom thief!
Kuroba Kaito immediately turned his head toward Konosuke Jii.
—Konosuke Jii was the old butler who had followed his father, the original Kaito Kid. If his mother, Chikage Kuroba, was also a phantom thief, there was no way Konosuke Jii wouldn't know.
Then, Konosuke Jii fell silent.
Kuroba Kaito: ?
Sometimes, silence is more lethal than words!
"Grandpa Jii, why aren't you saying anything?"
"Is my mom really a phantom thief? And she debuted even earlier than my dad? Why did you and she never tell me?"
End of Chapter
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